A certain redhead's
by kitsun3kidd
Summary: ...thoughts. Zelloyd; it's fluff. Zelos can't seem to get around the fact that he's in love with Lloyd. Will he ever be able to admit it?
1. Act 1: Friendly Spar

A/N: Hey, peeps, this is..kind of my first yaoi/shounen-ai fanfic, so flames would be greatly discouraged...^^; But constructive critisism is fine~ Zelos is a bit OOC, since I already tried oh-so-very hard to keep Lloydie in character. Whenever I browse the Zelloyd fanfics, yes, as we all know, Zelos is usually the dominating one of the pair. I was thinking what would happen if _Lloyd_ was the one that was dominant. Not that he really is dominant in this fic. But I don't exactly like the idea of Lloyd being all "omg wut, -blushie blushie-" around Zelos. It goes against what Lloyd is. He's oblivious to signs of love, so much that you'd probably have to tell him straight out that you loved him, and he'd still be like "what?".

So...Lloyd is quite oblivious in this fic, and if you don't like yaoi or fluff, then...I suggest hitting the back button and get out of here. Of course, I'm not gunna make Lloyd oblivious forever....yes, they will love each other someday, but I wanted it to seem slightly realistic. Not that the Zelloyd concept really is that realistic, but yeah. As close as it can get.

**Chapter one:**

The leafy green trees swayed gently in the warm summer breeze. Birds chirped overhead, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

It's a beautiful day, thought Zelos lazily, sitting on the soft grass. The others were setting up camp for the day. He could hear the distant yells of Raine, who was quite upset when Genis made a sarcastic remark about her cooking. Presea was chopping wood for the campfire, with Regal helping her. Sheena was sitting down on the ground, stroking Corrine gently. The only person that Zelos did not recall seeing recently was Lloyd. Curious, Zelos stood up, and started walking toward camp, to see if the brown-haired boy was there.

As Zelos looked around, he saw no sign of the young brunette. Slowly, he walked up to Sheena, "Hello, hunny~ Have you seen Lloyd anywhere?"

Sheena scowled as Zelos called her by that nickname, and threatened to stab him with a kunai, but answered, "He's out in the forest, training."

----

Lloyd sliced his swords through a tree without effort. One after another he cut, until he appeared to be breathless. (A/N: I couldn't think of anything else...hehe.) Hearing someone clap from behind, Lloyd turned around.

Zelos smiled and remarked, "That's some impressive wood-cutting."

"I'm just training," Lloyd said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

The red-haired man walked up towards Lloyd, drawing out his dagger. "If you don't mind, how 'bout we have a sparring match?"

Grinning, Lloyd held his swords in a fighting stance. "Sure, Zelos. You think you can beat me?"

Zelos snorted arrogantly, "Bud, I KNOW I can."

Lloyd gave a 'we'll see about that' look, and instantly sprung at Zelos at full force. Zelos mannaged to block Lloyd's attack easily, leaving Lloyd's chest unguarded. Zelos quickly took the chance and landed a blow on him. The younger boy swerved in the air, attempting to dodge the attack, but he was too slow to react. Lloyd hit the ground with a dull thud, unmoving.

Suddenly worried, Zelos rushed over to Lloyd. "Hey, you alright? I didn't even hit you that hard...-"

Before he know what hit him, Zelos was pinned on the ground by the young brunette. "Psyche!" Lloyd grinned mischeviously.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Zelos had been tricked by Lloyd. "Well, that's a first..." Zelos retorted, but his voice trailed off.

Lloyd blinked, confused. "Something wrong, Zelos?"

The redhead blushed slightly, due to their positon on top of each other. "Err-"

Zelos's reply was rudely interrupted by Genis's call, "Hey, dinner's ready...-" the young half-elf's voice cut off upon the sight of Zelos and Lloyd, both breathless and on top of each other.

Genis gaped at both of them, utterly astounded. "W-what are you two..?"

"Ahh, it's nothing..!" Zelos immediately pushed Lloyd off of him. "It's not what you think."

"I hope not..." Genis muttered something about perverted chosens. "...Anyway, dinner's ready, so hurry up and come over." And with that being said, he quickly ran back to camp.

Zelos let out a sigh, relieved that Genis didn't interrogate them. Lloyd tapped Zelos gently on the shoulder, "Why were you so embarassed?"

"I...uh.." Zelos couldn't find the words, and he was surprised that Lloyd hadn't noticed.

"Oooh, I get it," Lloyd laughed, earning a confused look from Zelos. "You were just embarassed that I beat you in a sparring match!"

Zelos almost staggered. He hadn't noticed that Lloyd was that thick-skulled. But maybe it was better that way. "Umm, yeah, right." ----

After dinner, Zelos sat under a large tree, staring at the starry sky. His brow furrowed in confusion as he replayed the moment in his head. Lloyd only landed on top of him....nothing more than that. Was that really so hard to comprehend? Zelos let out a groan of frustration.

Light footsteps were heard from behind, and Zelos immediately silenced himself.

"Hey, Zelos." It was Lloyd.

"Hey, bud." Zelos turned around, smiling; but it was only a half-hearted attempt.

Lloyd noticed this, and asked, "Is there something wrong?" His chocolate brown eyes gazed into Zelos's blue ones, looking concerned.

For a moment, the two held eye contact, and Zelos felt himself lean closer to Lloyd, his soft lips looking very tempting.

Zelos immediately broke free from Lloyd's gaze, cursing to himself for being so stupid. "It's...nothing." (A/N: whenever someone says that, we ALWAYS know that there is indeed something, and there is SOMETHING wrong. 8D Just wanted to say that.)

Lloyd hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged and sat down beside Zelos. His brown eyes were stormy. "Listen, Zelos..." Lloyd said softly, "you don't need to hide anything from me. No matter what happens, I'll be there for you, okay?" He smiled.

A little bit taken aback from Lloyd's little speech, Zelos regained his voice and said (a bit indignantly), "The Great Zelos never has any problems!" He laughed, a bit more whole-heartedly this time.

Lloyd seemed to be satisfied with this answer, and laughed along with him.

**----END OF CHAPTER ONE ----**

A/N: hehe, lame ending, I'm sorry. ;D; Anyway, YES THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER THAT I DON'T FEEL LIKE PUTTING UP AT THE MOMENT. Not that any of you care. -sobs-

Aaaanyway, review pls? -puppy dog eyes-


	2. Act 2: Thanks, Bud

A/N: I'm sorry about this chapter....;_; It's kind of short. But...quite a bit of things happen. ^_^ I forgot how to use the FFN stuff, so I'm not sure if the way I indented everything is going to turn out right. .; Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

**CHAPTER TWO**

The next morning, Zelos got out of his sleeping bag, immediately recieving goosebumps from the slightly cold morning weather. Reaching blindly for the opening of the tent (it was still before dawn), Zelos stumbled out. The sudden rush of cold air woke him up immediately.

It was quiet, the last embers of the fire glowing dimly. Zelos could hear the soft snoring of his companions from inside the tents.

He walked into the forest, to the small stream near camp. The steady trickling sound comforted him, giving him a serene feeling.

If only there were more moments like these... Zelos thought with a smile. The redhead sat down at the riverbank, until dawn broke, casting dark red shadows on the ground. Finally, the ex-chosen decided to go back to camp. It was cold out, anyway.

"Z...Zelos..?" a voice mumbled softly.

"Eh?" Zelos turned around, surprised to see Lloyd standing there, rubbing his eyes out of sleepiness. "Oh, hey Bud, nice weather today, huh..." Zelos couldn't help but stare at Lloyd for a moment. He was just really cute when he's all sleepy. Hell, he's cute most of the time.

Cursing himself once again, Zelos tried to keep the conversation alive, seeing that Lloyd was just barely awake. "....Er...how did you sleep?" A sudden, sick thought struck his mind, and Zelos could barely keep himself from totally losing it.

_'Zelos, control yourself. He's your friend. Don't screw up like before_.' A small voice commanded inside his head. Hey, he didn't hear that voice in quite a long time. (A/N: LOL WUT. Yeah, Zelos apparently doesn't have a consience most of the time. That's probably why he does what he does...)

Lloyd yawned again. "Fine," he scratched his back. "How about you?"

"I..." Zelos's voice trailed off. He couldn't really tell Lloyd that he was actually thinking about him at night... "...I'm okay."

Now staring at Zelos with just the smallest hint of suspicion, Lloyd tilted his head to the side, "Zelos...you've been acting strange lately."

The redhead froze at this comment, not really knowing what to say. Finally regaining his voice, Zelos said hastily, "It's nothing, really. Just feeling kind of sick recently."

Lloyd cast Zelos a worried look, "Then have Professor take a look at you."

The kid is really starting to corner me... Zelos thought, slightly grimacing. "Well..uhh, it's not that bad, and I really don't want to disturb Raine..." It was actually true. He didn't want Raine anywhere near him, since she was sure to catch on to...whatever.

"Well...alright," Lloyd heaved a sigh, looking put down for a moment.

Zelos stared at the boy in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Lloyd gave Zelos a sad look. "You're just like Colette," he said, almost bitterly, which caught Zelos off-guard. "Am I _that_ unreliable? Can't you trust me? I'm your friend, right?" Tears swimmed in his eyes. "I'm useless, aren't I? Not even my friends can trust me."

The young brunette looked so depressed, that Zelos couldn't help but place his arms around Lloyd. "You're not useless, Lloyd. I trust you...it's just...it's just that my problems are a bit more personal."

"But that's what friends are for, right?" Lloyd shouted, as he squirmed out of Zelos's arms. "That's exactly what Colette said to me!" Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.

The older man seemed taken back, not having anticipated this reaction. "Lloyd..."

"_Shut up_!" Lloyd screamed, louder this time. He turned around and ran into the forest.

There was some stirring in the tents, since Lloyd's shouts had probably awakened them. Sheena poked her head out of her tent. "Hey, what's with all the noise...-" her voice broke off, seeing Zelos's guilty look on his face.

Raine had also awoken now. "That was a rather rude wake up call..." she rubbed her temples, looking stressed.

Everyone else hadn't woken up from the noise, which was surprising, since Lloyd was shouting pretty loud.

"What happened?" Sheena strolled up to Zelos. He didn't reply, which earned him another look of suspicion from the ninja. "I heard Lloyd shouting."

Zelos avoided her gaze, "I don't know..." he closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going out for a bit..."

Raine and Sheena exchanged looks that said, "What's wrong with him?"

------

"I can't believe he reacted like that..." Zelos muttered to himself. Lloyd wasn't one known to be crying like that. Well, maybe at very emotional times, but...what hurt was that it was himself that made Lloyd act like that. But it was also Colette's fault... Zelos told himself. Though he knew that it was not a valid excuse.

_'But that's what friends are for, right?_' Lloyd's words echoed in his mind, causing Zelos to feel even more guilty. He chuckled without humor. If Lloyd only knew...

_Why am I too scared to tell anyone?_ Zelos wondered to himself, but stopped in his tracks as he saw Lloyd sitting at the foot of a tree.

He was sobbing softly to himself, so he didn't notice as Zelos walked up to him.

Zelos placed a gentle hand on Lloyd' shoulder. "Lloyd."

Lloyd didn't look up. Sighing, Zelos sat down right next to him.

"I...I'm sorry." Lloyd said quietly.

Zelos chuckled, "What are you being sorry for?"

"For acting like that. I didn't mean it."

"Nah, it's a normal reaction..." Zelos closed his eyes briefly. "...it's actually my fault," he said under his breath.

Lloyd seemed startled, for he had heard Zelos's comment. "How is it your fault?"

"...Lloyd...I've always wanted to tell you something...But..." Zelos trailed off.

"'But' what?"

Zelos smiled sadly. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you...I was too afraid, see? I'm no better than a coward. I didn't want to risk our friendship..." his voice cracked, his defensive barriers crumbling around him. "I...I didn't want to lose you, Lloyd."

"....Ze..Zelos..." Lloyd started. "I won't ever, ever hate you. Believe that."

"...Thanks, Bud."

---- END OF CHAPTER 2 -----

A/N: I always leave some kind of vague ending, don't I? That's 'cause I'm lazy. Lol. Sue me. XD

R&R, plz? It'll make me update faster~


	3. Act 3: A little game

A/N: Er, I looked at my fic, and I noticed that last chapter's indentation and stuff was screwed up. Sorry about that...its better...like, on notepad (yeah I use notepad, not word or something ^_^) Anyways, enjoy the chapter~

**CHAPTER 3**

The day after Lloyd and Zelos had a small quarrel in the morning, Sheena seemed to grow wary of their actions. Every little thing they did together made her feel suspicious.

She had tried to make the ex-chosen admit his feelings, but to no avail. He was too good at dodging awkward questions, and Sheena couldn't him directly...

After many failed attempts, Sheena almost had decided to give up, until she finally started to notice the little details.

The way Zelos looked at Lloyd, it was soft and gentle. He never looked at anyone else that way. And the way he talked to Lloyd. Sure, they probably had their bad times together, but Zelos always seemed to be careful with his words, which is pretty rare to see. Most of all, Zelos always seemed so happy around Lloyd, not that he wasn't happy around everyone else, but he was... genuinely happy with Lloyd.

Sheena wasn't sure if anyone else noticed this, so she didn't bring it up with anyone, fearing that they would think that she had some kind of gay fetish or something.

oOoOoOoOo

Everytime Zelos attempted to tell Lloyd his feelings, the young boy just didn't seem to comprehend. He was just so block-headed sometimes! Zelos remembered that day where he had thought that it must have been better if Lloyd was like that.

But what was this tugging feeling?

_'No...I can't risk that..._' Zelos thought. But a little voice countered in his head,_ 'But he said that he wouldn't hate you, no matter what.'_

That was true, but still, Zelos couldn't bring himself to do it. Just the thought of losing Lloyd was horrible. He groaned irritabally. _Inner turmoil is annoying..._

Suddenly, Zelos felt a smack on the back, and heard a gleeful voice yelling, "You're it!"

Zelos got up quickly and noticed a certain red-clad swordsman running in the opposite direction. "Oh, so you think you can outrun the Great Zelos, eh?" The redhead chased Lloyd, until he felt that he couldn't breathe anymore. Zelos felt completely wiped out, beads of sweat dripping down his face. And it wasn't like the hot weather helped.

"Okay, okay, I give up!" Zelos gasped.

Lloyd took in large gulps of air, stopped in his tracks, and smirked, "Haha, I won."

Playfully letting out a growl, Zelos jumped on top of Lloyd, tickling him.

Choking for air, Lloyd's eyes soon filled with tears of laughter. "S-Stop it, Zelos...!" He begged for mercy.

Finally, feeling satisfied, Zelos got off of Lloyd, who was now breathless again. _'See,'_ Zelos retorted to the little voice in his head, _'I'm perfectly fine with Lloyd as a friend.'_

The little voice didn't reply, not that Zelos expected it to. Besides, talking back to a voice inside your head is one of the first signs of insanity.

Lloyd took off his trademark red jacket, "Man, it's hot today."

Zelos stretched and said while fanning himself, "Yeah...Say, why don't we go to the stream and cool ourselves down?"

"Okay," Lloyd agreed, standing up again. The pair walked quietly together, and Zelos finally stopped in front of the crystal clear stream.

Zelos cupped a handful of water and splashed it on his face. 'Ah...it feels so refreshing...'

Lloyd put his hands behind his neck, and lay down on the grass. "...You know..."

"Hmm? What is it, Bud?" Zelos directed his attention to the brown-haired teen.

"I never really noticed how pretty the sky was until now."

Zelos stared up at the sky, light blue and filled with clouds that looked like little pieces of cotton. "Yeah..." he said, slightly mezmerized by the fact that the never noticed or appreciated the simple things in life.

"Makes me think that there are still things to appreciate." Lloyd said softly.

"Hmm." Zelos stared at the brunette for a moment. "Hey...Lloyd?"

Lloyd didn't respond. Zelos looked at Lloyd in the face, and then after a few seconds, he heard soft snoring. Amazed, he thought, _'Wow, I didn't know he could fall asleep that fast.'_

But Zelos didn't stop staring at Lloyd's face._ It just looked so..._ Zelos couldn't find the words to describe it.

_'...beautiful?'_ the voice inside his head finished for him. _'That wasn't what I was going to say!_' Zelos retorted against the voice. Great, now he's officially going insane. He's arguing with himself, for goddess's sake.

Not knowing what he was doing, Zelos's lips crashed against Lloyd's. _'Oh...crap...'_ Zelos cursed inwardly, but he couldn't make himself stop.

Lloyd, obviously, was startled, and woke up. He quickly jumped out of the way, leaving Zelos completely baffled at his own actions.

"L...Lloyd!" Zelos stammered, trying to figure out a reasonable explanation.

But the young teen just looked completely stunned. "...Z...Zelos...!" his brown eyes seemed to ask, "Why?"

Zelos clenched his fist. "..." How was he going to explain this? "Lloyd..I....Love...you."

"...You...love me...?" Lloyd echoed.

_'God dammit, he's going to hate me, he's going to hate me, he's going to hate me...'_ Zelos thought frantically in his head.

But the teen did not show any sign of hatred, or any negative exspression whatsoever. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Zelos was slightly surprised at Lloyd's comment. "...What...?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you...loved me?" Lloyd's voice dropped lower as he said the two last words.

"...It's because I..." Zelos sighed, "I told you before; I couldn't bear to lose you..."

Lloyd was silent for a moment, but then hugged Zelos tightly, "You dork."

"...Lloyd..?" Zelos breathed.

The teen smiled, "Love you, too, Zelos." He buried his face into the crook of Zelos's neck.

****  
**END OF CHAPTER 3**

****

A/N: I officially went insane doing this chapter. D: Yeah. I'm a sucker for sappy endings. Aaaanyway...I freaking ran out of ideas for this one, so I tried to just end it...haha. Oh, yeah, Lloyd calling Zelos a dork. I _SO_ had to do that. It's like...tempting. Just making Lloydie go all "JIASFOEJ DORK!"

...Ah. Silence from the audience (if I ever had any in the first place)...don't kill me. R&R PLEASE??? If anyone wants more chapters...or any suggestions, I'll take them. D:

Colette: Please, do as she says! Help this poor and corrupted soul!  
Me: ...that's going a bit overboard, there.


End file.
